Fish Out Of Water
by Assina
Summary: When Rukia Kuchiki discovers a homeless blue-haired man on her property, she didn't think she would even let him inside her house, nor did she expect to fall in love with him. Damn her maternal instincts. *GrimmRuki, AU, rating subject to go up.
1. River

**A/N: **I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Chapter 1

The water felt marvelous.

Rukia was so tired and dirty she had hardly been able to stand it any longer. Removing her clothes and taking a dip in the river had been a great idea. She lowered her head into the water one last time and smiled as tiny bubbles tickled her scalp and ran around her ears. _I could float in this water all day_, she thought. She gave a regretful sigh and headed back towards the water's bank, where her clothes lay.

She stopped mid-stride when she saw him.

He was just sitting there, leaning against the trunk of a big pine tree like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her gaze shifted to her clothes, and then back to his handsome face. It was then she realized that his own gaze had dropped. She glanced down and saw that her breasts were just above the water level, and he was enjoying the view.

Rukia dropped down in the water and covered her chest with her arms, blushing in embarrassment. If she hadn't been naked she would have gone and smacked him upside the head. "This is private property. _My_ private property."

"Sure is." He grinned, his words having nothing to do with her land.

Her face turned a deeper shade of red, this time in anger. "Bastard," She growled. "Leave."

He stood up and brushed the seat of his pants off. A smirk was still on his face when he said, "Well you see miss, I can't really do that right now. I had a little run in with the law and ended up in the woods. I think I lost them, but I sure found you." His lopsided grin grew wider.

Rukia frowned at him, unaffected by his casual flirting. "Turn around so I can get out put my clothes back on."

"Why? It's not like I haven't seen you already."

"Just do it," She ordered sternly. "_Now_."

He chuckled and turned to face the opposite direction.

She hurried out of the water as fast as she could and snatched up her clothes, eying him to make sure he didn't peek as she dressed herself. When she was finished, she rung out her hair and sighed. "I'm done now."

He nodded and turned to her. She noticed that he was extremely tall and had a lean, built frame. His blue hair was messy and tousled, and it hung in his matching blue eyes. They looked at eachother for a few moments before the man held out a hand to her. "Name's Grimmjow."

She raised an eyebrow before taking the hand and giving it a solid shake. "Rukia."

Rukia turned and began to walk back to her jeep, not planning on carrying the conversation with the strange man any further. But he caught her arm. She turned and gave him a questioning look, which he quickly obliged to answer.

"Can I sleep at your place?"

Her brows scrunched together and she looked up at him like he had just asked the most stupid thing she'd ever heard. "Excuse me?"

Grimmjow repeated the question patiently, his voice unchanging.

Rukia really didn't know what to say. It was obvious this man had been through a lot lately. His clothes were tattered and worn, and he looked as if a shower and food would do him good. She could easily guess that he was homeless. Still, she didn't know this man nor did she trust him. He hadn't exactly given her a good first impression. He had also mentioned something about getting in trouble with the law. What was that about?

"If it works better, I'll sleep on your back porch." He told her. "I just need somewhere to sleep, and I'd rather it not be on the ground for a night." His face held an honest expression, despite the fact that there was obviously much more to it than what he had told her. She knew she would feel awfully guilty for leaving him like this, though.

She sighed and dropped her hands to her sides, allowing her kinder instincts to take over. "Fine." She stopped him before he got too excited. "_But, _I have some rules."

He nodded as if he had expected as much. "What would those be?"

"You must respect my privacy, help around the house, and don't steal anything from me. If you do any of those things I'll kick you out."

He shrugged, but agreed to her terms. "Okay."

Rukia nodded her head and turned to finally get back into her jeep, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. He didn't seem like a bad guy other than being a tad bit perverted, so what kind of trouble could he possibly be in? And why was it so bad that he was chased into the woods?

She got into the red vehicle and started the engine. Grimmjow got into the passenger seat, and she started to drive across the bumpy terrain. She had so many questions that she needed answered, but she decided not to ask them yet and wait for another time. For now, she would just set him up in one of her many spare rooms and see how that went. If he got out of line she would kick him out. It was that simple.

Grimmjow tapped his long fingers against the window, peering out at the large stretch of grass and trees that surrounded them. His face looked calm and serene, like nothing had happened to him. However, his appearance suggested otherwise. His clothes weren't just dirty and tattered... in some places there were spots of dried blood and quite a lot of grass stains. She didn't know if the blood was his or someone else's, but again she didn't ask.

When she pulled up into the driveway of her small mansion, Grimmjow was obviously impressed.

"You own all this?" He asked as he got out.

"Yes," She said, walking next to him.

It was then she noticed that he was walking with a slight limp, like one of his legs were hurt. Why hadn't she seen that before?

"What's wrong with your leg?"

He was silent for a few seconds, as if pondering an answer. "I got bit by a dog, that's all." He shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal.

She opened her front door and walked inside with him. "Sit on the couch and let me take a look," She told him seriously. She didn't want a man with rabies in her house. He did as asked and sat down on the large L-shaped couch, sighing at the comfortableness of it.

Rukia dropped her keys on the coffee table and sat down in front of him. "Give me your leg."

He did, his gaze never leaving her face. He watched her intently as she rolled the pant leg up, not showing any sign of pain when it brushed against the large bite on his leg. It was covered in crusted blood, and there were four clearly visible puncture holes, showing where the dog's canines had chomped onto his leg. He was telling the truth.

"This is horrible..." Rukia told him, scrunching her nose. "I'm going to take you to a doctor."

"I'm fine," He said, and took his leg away from her.

Rukia shook her head and stood up. "No. it needs to be treated, otherwise you could get an infection. Take a shower first, then we'll go."

He looked up at her, an emotion burning in his eyes that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I just asked for a place to sleep. You don't have to-"

She shushed him. "I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart, and you better accept it. I don't know what happened to you or what kind of trouble you're in, but at least let me help you." She turned and walked into the large hallway. "The shower is upstairs and to the far left."

She disappeared from the room, muttering something about finding him some clothes that belonged to a man named "Byakuya."

Grimmjow watched her go, wondering why a stranger would do this for him and how he had even gotten her to agree in the first place. He was normally turned down before he asked. _Pure luck, I guess._

He got up and limped over to the stairs, agreeing that he desperately needed a shower. He could smell his own stench.

* * *

When Grimmjow finished, he came out of the bathroom clothed in a pair of slacks and a white button up. He found the clothes lying on the sink and figured Rukia must have put them there while he was still in the shower. She even had shoes for him. He had a bit of trouble making it down the stairs, but eventually he managed it.

She was waiting for him on the couch, one leg crossed over the other while she read a magazine.

When she heard him limp over to her, she turned her head and stood up, giving him a half-smile. "I already called the doctor's office. They're expecting us to arrive soon."

She turned the TV off and grabbed her purse off the counter, heading towards the door and expecting him to follow. Grimmjow watched the soft sway of her hips as she walked, another one of his smiles creeping up his lips. _Pure luck indeed.  
_

Rukia turned and gave him a look. "Come on, or we'll be late."

He followed her back outside, a bit too willingly.

* * *

**A/N:** This will obviously be a GrimmRuki fic in the future, and there will also quite possibly be a lemon or two also. I hope you like what I've got so far, and if there's something you see wrong with it don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks for reading.


	2. Checkup

Chapter 2

"Oh my," The doctor said as he carefully examined Grimmjow's wound. "This is bad. What kind of dog bit you? Was it a stray?"

Grimmjow pulled away. "It was a rottweiler. And no."

Rukia raised an eyebrow at that. A rottweiler? Had he been in someone's yard?

"Well," The doctor said. "I doubt you have any diseases, then, and your checkup proved that you're in good health, aside from needing to eat more. Just call the office again if you experience any unusual symptoms. A nurse will be here to wrap you leg shortly."

Grimmjow nodded to acknowledge his words, but didn't say anything.

The doctor stood there awkwardly for a second and left, allowing the door to click quietly behind him as it shut. Rukia looked over and noticed that the blue haired man looked troubled about something. His lips were pursed and he stared at the plastic model of a heart sitting on the counter absentmindedly, almost like he was not quite there.

Before Rukia could ask what was wrong a nurse came in, arms loaded with medical supplies. She saw Grimmjow and gave him a shy smile, but she only glanced briefly in Rukia's direction, hardly interested in her.

"I'm just here to treat your bite," She told him, as if he didn't know that already. "I've brought some extra supplies also, so you can change the bandages later."

She knelt down and began to treat Grimmjow's leg with some type of clear ointment. She began to dab it on, and his nose twitched when he felt the sting. He sat there quietly and let her do it, though. When she was finished she wrapped cloth tight around the wound and instructed them both on how to change the bandages. She began to go into a little too much detail, like she was stalling for time and wanted to stay in the room longer.

"And then you-"

Grimmjow cut her off. "Okay, woman. We're not stupid." He looked slightly annoyed.

The nurse blushed deeply. "Oh..."

She shoved the supplies in Rukia's arms and let them out of the room. Rukia said a polite goodbye to the nurse and they both made their way to the desk where the receptionist was and signed out.

As they walked to the car, Rukia told him that she had a couple mores errands to run.

"Where are we going?" He asked her.

"You'll see."

* * *

Despite Grimmjow's protests, Rukia insisted that he pick out some new clothes from a seemingly expensive store. Apparently this had been her "errand". She led him into the large building and began to shuffle through the clothing, throwing the things she thought looked good over her arm. Grimmjow figured he should do the same, and with a bit of reluctance, he began to pick through the racks. He didn't really like this style of clothes; they looked upper class and like they were meant for the rich. Not him.

He felt strange in a place like this...

Grimmjow sucked it up and tried to find the most appealing things in the store, returning to Rukia when he was done. He only had two outfits. She had two armfuls.

"I really don't need all that..." He muttered. He wasn't lying either, he knew he would never wear half of those things and would probably end up selling them.

"Price isn't an issue," She told him. "I've got plenty of money to spend that will just lay around, so this is my chance to get rid of it."

_Plenty of money lying around?_ "But-"

"Don't complain, unless you want to wear my brother's old clothes again."

He assumed that the Byakuya man she mentioned earlier was her brother, and decided that no, he didn't want to wear the man's used clothes.

He scowled and resisted the urge to say anything else, because she _was_ helping him. A lot. This was the first time in his life anyone had ever been so generous to him, but he didn't want all this. The only reason he'd asked to stay with her in the first place was to get away from _them_. He'd just lucked out when it came to everything else.

Charity made him feel helpless, especially when it was all coming from a woman. It seemed like this woman in particular was very rich. It made sense- her house was large, she owned a considerable amount of land, and she was buying him all these things without the slightest hint of regret. She was rich and beautiful... _like so many of the people around here._

When they were finally finished, Grimmjow followed her to the checkout. He carried most of the items, and dropped things he didn't want back on the rack while she wasn't looking. He just hoped she didn't notice the significant change of size in the mountain of clothes. While the clerk checked the items out, Grimmjow watched the monitor and read the price, watching it go higher with every beep.

Rukia paid, taking a wad of bills out of her purse. The clerk barely took a second glance at the amount. Apparently she was used to it.

They left with the newly purchased items.

"Thanks," Grimmjow told her. "But you didn't have to buy all that."

She rolled her eyes. "With what you were wearing when I met you, I think I did."

"What was wrong with my clothes?" He demanded, obviously offended.

Rukia chuckled and got into the jeep after loading the bags into the back. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

He did remember noticing that after he'd gotten out of the shower, his dirty clothes were missing. Had she thrown them away?

Next, she took him to a local convenience store and forced him to pick out a toothbrush, among other toiletries. He didn't understand why he needed all these things, as it would just be more weight to carry when he left. Unless... she was letting him stay longer than he had thought. He wanted to ask her about that, but didn't. If she was planning on doing so she would tell him.

As they walked out of the store, full plastic bags in hand, Grimmjow heard his stomach growl. Loudly. He scowled at himself.

Rukia heard it too, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "I assume you're hungry."

"...yeah." He admitted.

"Well," She said as they got into her vehicle yet again, "There's plenty to eat at home. Maybe I'll even cook dinner... it's been a while since I've cooked for anyone."

Grimmjow hadn't eaten in days, and it showed. Rukia had noticed even before his stomach growled that he looked a bit lacking in nutrition. Rukia knew that she wasn't going to let this man leave until he was at least fed and his wounds were healed. It was common courtesy.


	3. Thieves

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews and stuff guys. I take them all to heart.

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Chapter 3

The strong smell of chicken spread throughout the air of the house.

Grimmjow sniffed the smell, and his stomach roared at him impatiently. He scowled and ignored it, then lounged back on Rukia's couch, flipping through the many channels of her TV. He stopped for a moment on the local news channel but quickly went to change it again when he remembered it might show something he didn't want Rukia to see.

She poked her head out of the kitchen, stirring something around in the hissing skillet. "Leave it on that channel. I want to see the weather." She went back in the kitchen.

Grimmjow grit his teeth together. _Of course she does. Dammit._

He was quite sure she already didn't have such a great impression on him, seeing as he had been watching her bathe when they first met. He really hadn't meant to do that... but the opportunity was too great to pass up. He was surprised that she even bothered with him after that little incident.

On the other hand, if the news were to show what he'd done she would surely think of him as pure trash and kick him out. He didn't particularly have any desire for that to happen yet.

He tried to take his mind off of it and took a look around her house. There were beauty magazines strewn randomly among the coffee table, and a few other large books. The living room looked homely and comfortable. It felt strange to be in a place like this so suddenly, considering the fact that he had been sleeping on the cold ground for weeks.

Rukia called to him, and he got up to go see what she wanted. The food was ready.

"Looks great," He told her when he reached the kitchen.

It did. Though he knew that any kind of food would look great in his hungry eyes.

Rukia gave him a small smile and dished some of the chicken on his plate. Their eyes lingered in eachother's for a few seconds, although it seemed longer than that. Rukia cleared her throat and looked away. "Salad's over there." She pointed to a bowl on the counter with her spatula.

She made her own plate and walked out into the living room. She had no dinner table, because she didn't see the point in buying one when she liked to eat in the living room anyway. She plopped down on the couch and stared up at the TV as she ate. The reporter was talking about recent crimes in the area, and she was about to change it since the weather wasn't on yet, but stopped herself when she heard the name Aizen.

Grimmjow coughed loudly from the kitchen.

"As most of you viewers may know, Aizen Sosuke is a very rich and powerful man that sponsors many of our large charities in Karakura city," The reporter said. "Two days ago, he was robbed by a group of thieves while he was out. They beat one of his guards to death, and the other one is in critical care. An alarm system installed in his house notified the police but unfortunately they didn't get there in time to catch all of the thieves. There was one man left in the house, however, but he escaped from the building and was chased into the woods. They did not catch him and gave up the chase yesterday."

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows, mouth full with food. Woods? Grimmjow had been in the woods...

Aizen was very well known in the city because of his charitable acts and how rich he was. Rukia recalled him being a rival to Byakuya when he was in town. "Why would anyone dare steal from someone like him?" She wondered aloud after she'd swallowed.

Grimmjow still hadn't come from the kitchen. She was beginning to worry about that.

Rukia set her plate down and went over to him. He was tossing the salad around with a fork, his back turned to her. He looked strange just standing there like that. Rukia approached him cautiously, tapping him on the shoulder when she got there. He jumped and looked at her over his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He shook her off and went out into the living room.

Grimmjow didn't speak to her for the rest of the night, and eventually fell asleep on the couch. Soon he began to snore. Rukia only sighed and covered him up with a blanket. Rukia knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but there was definitely _something _wrong. And she wouldn't mind knowing just what, exactly, that something was.

* * *

Rukia lay in bed that night, thinking about Grimmjow and trying to piece things together. He was a acting a bit mysterious and didn't seem to want to talk about anything personal. He was hiding something, she knew that much. But she didn't push it. She suspected that he'd had something to do with the robbery of Aizen...

There was a shuffling noise coming from outside the window. Rukia froze.

Men could be heard talking quietly outside, and it sounded like there was a dog whimpering. Why hadn't she heard them before? Rukia cursed herself and sat up in her bed. She got up and crept over to the window as quietly as possible. Her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to peek through the curtain and see who it was. It was too dark to see that much, but she did see two silhouettes and a large dog.

It was sniffing around the edges of the house, pawing and whimpering. She strained her eyes to try and get a glimpse of the men's faces, but to no avail. The only thing she could really see was that one was very tall, and the other was petite and had white skin that stood out even in the dark. They seemed to be discussing something important.

The dog stopped it's fidgeting and looked up at her, ears cocked. It jumped up and sniffed at the window.

Rukia gasped and fell on the floor. It saw her!

She clutched her chest and leaned against the wall. They were searching for something, she'd gathered that much. But what? She didn't have anything important other than money. She hadn't even been aware that someone knew where she lived. Her home was far back into the woods.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, listening to the men and their dog. After about an hour of this, the sounds stopped and it seemed that they were gone. Only then did Rukia get back into bed. She didn't fall asleep though. Not by a long shot.


End file.
